Three Little Words
by Bitten by a cow
Summary: Who would have ever thought that she liked him? Wasn't Kenshin the one she was supposed to love, or...did this laid-back, handsome fighter capture her attention and give her the magic Kenshin never sparked? Alternate pairing: Sano/Kaoru.
1. The Unspoken

The Unspoken

Kaoru walked briskly to the training room from the kitchen, trying to ignore the rain. She was almost to the steps when she slipped on the wet ground - but her fall was somehow cushioned by a hand under her back!

...who was that?

She opened her eyes to see Sanosuke's lean arm around her, stopping her from toppling into the wooden steps of the dojo.

"Missy," he smirked, "you oughta be more careful. Wouldn't be too nice if the Missy got hurt on something like her own stupidity."

Kaoru lunged off of his protective arm and gave him a hard whack across the head. "Knock it off! I was just - the ground is wet, you jerk!" Her hands flew at him, threatening to strangle him should they get close enough.

He leaned against the supporting beam and caught her hands, a sly smile still on his face. "Woah, Missy, wouldn't want you to hurt yourself again," he stated, toying with her again.

"Excuse me!?" she huffed, trying to jab his chest with her fist. This was not accomplished, however, as he had a firm hold on her hands. "Are you asking for a fight?" she challenged, taking a step towards him. She stood on her tiptoes to try to match his height. Even leaning against the beam he must have been a half a foot or so taller, so this was rather difficult.

His beautiful brown eyes met hers. "What would you do if I did?"

She tried to cross her arms, but it was rather futile as he didn't let go, his grip still stronger than her struggles to pull away. She realized that it would be impossible for her to match the strength of this man, this man who had mastered the Futae No Kiwami.

Kaoru felt she couldn't breathe, but she couldn't let Sano see her emotions - she blurted out, "You aren't much stronger than me, Sano! Maybe I couldn't win, but I have tricks up my sleeves you don't know about!" She had to hold in those three special words - why was she even thinking them? She didn't feel that way for Sano... Kenshin was the one she liked...wasn't he?

Sano never showed interest in her; he was always flirting with Megumi! It would just be a mess if he knew she liked him - _but I don't!_ she reprimanded herself.

But her heart kept asking her, _If you really don't, why are you so close to him?_

Her eyes widened as she realized he was still gazing at her. He must have...drawn her closer when she wasn't paying attention...they were much closer than they had been a moment ago. He seemed to have grown taller, too, or was he slouching less?

His voice lowered and his eyebrows flashed upwards for a moment as he asked coyly, "What tricks?" When she couldn't answer, he pulled her closer using her hands and leaned close to her face, whispering, "Missie, you can't do a thing against a hot Fighter for Hire like..." He drew his head slowly back to rest on the beam, but she couldn't resist following his lead and leaning closer to him. "...me..." his breath rippled down her neck, his chocolate brown eyes drawing her in.

She almost gave in and felt his lips against her own, but she stopped herself. _He just said I can't do something. I have to prove that I can._ She pulled away from his grasp, enjoying the utterly surprised look on his face. Freeing her hands of his, she stomped into the dojo, pretending to be angry.

But she wasn't at all angry. She was a whir of emotions: fear of the power he held over her, shock from how close she'd allowed herself to get to him, but another feeling still tugged at her, a feeling she tried to suppress.

She glanced back to where he had been standing just outside the door, but he wasn't there.

* * *

...Sanosuke's point of view...

* * *

The Missy toppled onto his arm just as he planned, but he wasn't sure what to do next as her stunning blue eyes stared up at him. Something stirred within him that he couldn't stop, so he just tried to put on his usual laid-back face - it might have been more of a confident smirk - and told her, "Missy, you oughta be more careful. Wouldn't be too nice if the Missy got hurt on something like her own stupidity."

"Knock it off! I was just - the ground is wet, you jerk!" she yelped, pushing herself off his arm. She turned around and clutched at his neck, but he wasn't too worried.

A sudden desire to play with her head led him to grab her strangling hands and hold them tightly. A small voice at the back of his head warned, _Don't grip her too tightly - I couldn't bear it if __**I**__ was the one to hurt the Missy! She's just a..._ his mind wandered as his gaze returned to her gorgeous eyes. Still trying to put on a facade, he smirked, "Woah, Missy, wouldn't want you to hurt yourself again."

"Excuse me!?" she shrieked, and her face took on that cute look of annoyance. He felt her smooth hands struggling under his grasp. "Are you asking for a fight?"

He couldn't breathe as she stepped towards him and as the gap between them narrowed. And was she trying to stand on her tip toes to gain the same eye level?

_...amazing._

He suddenly remembered that she had...was she challenging him with that statement? The desire grew stronger than ever, throbbing in his chest. But he had to think - he had to come up with a clever come-back: "What would you do if I did?" _Smooth, Sagara._

Her arms moved, like she was trying to cross her arms, but he didn't let go of her hands to allow this. _Can't have the Missy with such a cross look,_ he smirked to himself, but he didn't have a chance to say it as she growled, "You aren't much stronger than me, Sano! Maybe I couldn't win, but I have tricks up my sleeves you don't know about!"

The challenge sent the desire pulsing through his veins.

"What tricks?" he murmured, a smile growing across his lips.

She didn't say a word.

He used his hold on her hands to pull her closer and arched his head nearer to her face. The closeness of their faces sent his mind reeling, and he began saying things he thought he never would have said in a million years, things he hoped would entice her: "Missie, you can't do a thing against a hot Fighter for Hire like..." He wasn't sure of this whole plan; Kaoru was so smart she'd probably dash away the moment his hands loosed their grip. But he couldn't force her to do anything, so...

He remembered something he'd heard from one of his friends at the gambling place: _If you really want the girl to like you, let her chase you._ That sounded intriguing, but how was he going to do that? He realized that his head was a few inches away from the beam. He slowly set his head back to rest on the beam, and watched with star-crossed eyes as she followed him. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, and whispered, "...me..."

Her shimmering eyes seemed to called to him; it took all of his strength, strength he so prided himself on, to stop his impetuous feelings from taking over his shaking body and forgetting all constraints of gentlemanliness. But he couldn't do that to her; he felt the exact opposite of one in control. He felt as though she had him under a spell, able to contort and play with his emotions as she pleased.

Her eyelids were half-closed as she stared at him with that irresistable gaze, and her lips drew to a bare inch from his own. But they never touched. With a single and cruel motion, she wrenched herself free of his loosened hold and, with a last triumphant smirk, bolted into the dojo.

For a moment, he felt an onslaught of betrayal and rejection, but he could not let that be the end. He would not let the chase be given up so easily.


	2. The Spoken

The Spoken

Kaoru's heart dropped to her toes as she saw that Sanosuke wasn't there. Though try as she might to deny it, she almost wished she could change what she had just done. She had run away because of her pride, away from the man who she'd tried her hardest to supress feelings for. Kenshin had always been there for her when she needed him, but that "magic" she'd always heard of never sparkled between her and Kenshin.

Her breath caught in her throat as she thought of Sano's eyes, his creamy brown eyes, filled with that cocky twinkle which could always catch her attention when he wanted it to. Did he give her that magic? Was it he who sent her heart fluttering every time his gaze fell upon her?

She was suddenly frightened out of her senses when a figure, a well-built man a head taller than her, somehow appeared in front of her. In fear she backed up a few steps, smacking into the wooden wall of the dojo. The man's imposing stature sent her limbs shaking. _What on earth should I do!? I was just bluffing about being almost as strong as Sano - I don't even have any tricks up my sleeve that I was joking about! _Her mind was whirling crazily as she panicked. _Kenshin's out buying tofu, and Yahiko's training by the river, and Sano..._

All of her worries were put to rest as she realized who it was.

His filled-out and well-exposed chest expanded and contracted in a mesmerizing rythym; his powerful arms relaxed by his sides as if in amiable surrender; his dark brown hair dangled in front of his eyes.

Oh, his eyes...those strong eyes of a fighter seemed now like melting chocolate as he gazed at her.

Sanosuke stood before her, lulling her into his world with his alluring gaze. It was all she could do to stand her ground in his presence.

Kaoru blinked back to reality - she had to think of a way of escape. He was chasing her; he wouldn't let her get away. Perhaps that had been her own fault: she had challenged him and awakened emotions inside him that might have been left unstirred. And perhaps she still had some control over his actions.

It wasn't as though she didn't want him to come closer to her. She was so afraid that he was only teasing her, mocking her, hunting her as a game. He didn't really like her back, did he?

She had to run away. She couldn't let him take advantage of her or play with her mind like that.

He must have read her thoughts, for just as she had decided to run to her left, he thrust out his arms on either side of her, his hands spread out on the dojo wall, trapping her between himself and the wall.

His head dropped to her height, his face so close she could feel his breath streaming down her neck as it had minutes before. His eyes were so near now, his beautiful brown eyes that she couldn't break her gaze from. He broke the silence, whispering, "Missy, I've never felt like this for anyone before."

She could see the sincerity in his eyes; his adorable nickname for her had never sounded so wonderful.

He took a step closer, and she could see beads of sweat and rain clinging to his bare chest. And before she could respond, he didn't hesitate as he had before. He launched towards her, his lips pressing to hers.

Her breath stuck in her throat and her eyes widened as he poured all of his pent-up emotion into a passionate kiss. Her heart melted, and she couldn't hold back any longer; her hands remained idle no more. Her arms flew up his chest and over his neck, entangling her fingers in his deep brown, hypnotic hair.

He broke off and held his head still very close to hers, and they both took a gasp of air.

Chocolate brown met sapphire blue as their eyes met again.

They stood still for a long time, catching their breath.

The only sound was that of their own deep breathing; they could only see the other's serene face and the other's chest heaving and falling; she was surrounded by his scent. Being so near this boy made her head feel light, and he smelled so good...

Sano's beautiful face broke into a playful grin, a grin like that of a teenage boy in love. Then again, he _was_ a teenage boy in love. His jubilant features lightened Kaoru's spirits, and her lips parted into a similar smile. After he caught his breath, his smile faded, and his eyebrows cocked up in challenge, as if to say, "Come and get it!"

Nothing could keep her back now - he asked for it!

She lunged for him, throwing her arms around him and nearly toppling him over with her aggresive momentum. Her lips locked onto his, and the world around them disappeared. Her feet were still moving though pressed to him she was, and he was forced to back up for fear of tumbling to the floor. His lean arms slid around her back, enveloping her in his strong grasp. But she hadn't given total control to him: she still pressed him backwards, and he began to worry that -

SMACK!

* * *

Kaoru knocked him into the wall with her forward strides. They had crossed the entire room in a matter of seconds, and Sano's back paid the price for it. He was shaken senseless for a moment, more out of surprise than pain, but that only fueled his drive further. He couldn't resist the chance to tease her just a little, so he laughed, "Woah, go for it, Missy!"

Her eyes opened casually, and she broke off from his lips just long enough to retaliate, "Don't go blaming me -_you_ unleashed the dragon," before pressing her lips to his again.

Sano tried to say something, but she was so passionate that he couldn't break away. He wanted to be in control, to be leading the kiss, but the "dragon" had awoken a fever-like crazy love unlike anything he'd ever felt before. She kept the lead just out of his grasp, binding her arms around him so tightly he thought she might squeeze the very life out of him. She still had control over him, driving him mad as she seemed to toy with his emotions.

* * *

Kaoru couldn't stop kissing him, couldn't let go of this fantasy she'd held since she met him. Her small and petite body melted like wax into his strong and powerful chest. His lips danced with a passion over her own, sending her heart a shudder.

He ripped away from the wall, spinning them both around in circles. Kaoru's feet couldn't keep balance, and she leaned on an unsteady Sano for support. He lost his footing, and they both crashed to the ground.

THUNK!

* * *

His massive body toppled to the floor, his hands flying to her sides to keep the Missy from landing on her head - or on his head. She fell right on his chest, knocking the air out of his lungs. Pain.

But it was a good pain.

He stared up into her sparkling eyes. Her silky black hair had been ripped from its bow, and it all came tumbling over his chest as she landed safely on her human cushion. It was so smooth and soft, like petals of an exotic flower - it smelled like one, too. His fingers toyed with her luscious hair, taking in its amazing texture. He lifted a strand to his perused lips and inhaled the intoxicating scent.

His gaze returned to her eyes, those eyes which had tormented and teased him so many times before. But not anymore. The question still rung in his mind, _What about Kenshin?_ If Kenshin still wanted her, he'd have to put up a pretty big fight - naw, her eyes told him the single truth that sent his heart pounding: she wasn't into Kenshin. For the first time in his life, he felt secure, staring into her eyes.

He was broken from his reverie as she leaned down and kissed him again, her raven-black bangs dangling in his eyes. Her kiss lasted only a moment, but it was the final blow to rendering him speechless in his assurance of her affections.

But then she slapped him. "I still love you and all, but you'd better not expect me to kiss you like that again," she commanded, returning to her usual Kaoru voice.

A smile broke over his face as she stood and tromped out of the dojo.

That was all she needed to say.


End file.
